This invention relates to a device for catheterising the bladder. When constrictions occur in the urinary passages as a consequence of a diseased enlargement of the prostate, a urinary blockage results and it is necessary to empty the filled bladder by means of a catheter. In particular, when retention of urine occurs at a prostate gland, a so-called permanent catheter is introduced into the urethra, which must be replaced at least every 2 weeks. Such a permanent catheter has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, there is a risk of urethral inflammation, because the urethra wall is continually loaded or irritated by the foreign object. Since the bladder is frequently emptied, the bladder muscles are no longer exercised and can therefore shrink. The emptying of the bladder is effected by the patient himself, who simply needs to remove a plug from the front end of the catheter for this purpose. This unavoidably leads to odour which is very disturbing to the patient. The catheter has a relatively large diameter, to avoid blockages as far as possible. This size of the catheter means that its introduction can only be carried out by the doctor. The patient must therefore see the doctor every 2 weeks, in order to have the catheter changed. When it is renewed, further complications can arise. Due to the long stay of the permanent catheter, points and sharp-edge encrustations of uric acid stones frequently occur on the end situated in the bladder. When the catheter is removed, these encrustations can injure the urethra, leading to bleeding and septic infections, since the urethra is not free from bacteria as a consequence of the presence in it of the foreign object for a considerable period. When the prostate is enlarged, this enlargement presses into the bladder, leading to an accumulation of residual urine so that the bladder cannot be fully emptied. This residual urine can lead to an infection of the entire urinary tract system ranging from the bladder as far as the kidneys.
In order to remove the residual urine and other sediments from the bladder and to disinfect the bladder, it is therefore necessary before changing the permanent catheter to carry out a flushing of the bladder, which again can only be done by the doctor; a flushing spray is used for this, filled either with water or with a disinfecting preparation.
The problem underlying the invention is to create a device for catheterising the bladder, which is considerably simpler to use than the catheters hitherto employed and which avoids the above-mentioned complications.